A method and apparatus for increasing the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of phononic comb teeth generated by a non-linear resonator. The method comprises generating a drive signal; applying the drive signal to the non-linear resonator with sufficient gain to generate the phononic comb teeth; and filtering the drive signal before applying it to the non-linear resonator to thereby increase the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator. The apparatus may comprise a circuit including a filter disposed between an oscillator generating the drive signal and the non-linear resonator, the filter preferably having a 3 db passband width which is less than a spacing of the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The method of claim 1 where the non-linear resonator includes a MEMS quartz resonator having a quartz element with metallic electrodes affixed to the quartz element.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the non-linear resonator includes an AT-cut shear mode resonator.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter is a passband filter having a 3 db passband width that is less than a tooth spacing of a selected tooth of the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator, the selected tooth having a frequency at least one tooth spacing either above or below a frequency of said drive signal.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter is a passband filter having two or more poles.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a high pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at lower frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a low pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at higher frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a filter resonator and wherein the drive signal has sufficient gain to cause the non-linear resonator to enter a non-liner mode but not sufficient gain to cause the filter resonator to enter a non-liner mode.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a Radio Frequency (RF) filter.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 where the resonator is a MEMS quartz resonator.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the resonator is an AT-cut shear mode MEMS resonator, having a quartz element with metallic electrodes affixed to the quartz element.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filter is a passband filter having a 3 db passband width which is less than the teeth spacing a selected tooth of the phononic comb teeth generated by the resonator, the selected tooth having a frequency at least one tooth spacing either above or below a frequency of said drive signal.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filter is a passband filter having two or more poles.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filter comprises a high pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at lower frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filter comprises a low pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at higher frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the drive signal is a RF drive signal and the filter comprises a Radio Frequency (RF) filter.
18. A circuit for improving a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of phononic comb teeth generated by a non-linear resonator that is pumped by an oscillator generating a radio frequency drive signal with sufficient gain to cause the phononic comb teeth to be generated by the non-linear resonator, the circuit comprising a radio frequency filter disposed between the oscillator and the non-linear resonator.
19. The circuit of claim 18 wherein the filter has a 3 db passband width which is less than a single tooth spacing of the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator, the filter selecting a desired tooth from the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator, the desired tooth being at least one tooth spacing above or below said radio frequency drive signal.
20. The circuit of claim 18 wherein the filter comprises a Radio Frequency (RF) filter.
22. The method of claim 21 where the non-linear resonator includes a MEMS AT-cut shear mode quartz resonator.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the filter is a passband filter having a 3 db passband width that is less than a tooth spacing of the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator, the filter selecting a tooth from the phononic comb teeth generated by the non-linear resonator, the selected tooth being spaced frequency-wise from the drive signal by at least one tooth spacing.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein the filter is a passband filter having two or more poles.
25. The method of claim 21 wherein the filter comprises a high pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at lower frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
26. The method of claim 21 wherein the filter comprises a low pass filter for filtering the teeth occurring at higher frequencies than the drive signal frequency.
27. The method of claim 21 wherein the filter comprises a Radio Frequency (RF) filter.
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June 15, 2021
August 30, 2022
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